Krom Phra Rajawang Bowon Sathan Mongkol () or the
Front Palace was a royal title granted by the Siamese monarchy until the nineteenth century. The holder of the Front Palace title was considered the heir to the throne. The title originated in the
Ayutthaya period and later gain utter importance during the
Rattanakosin times as the Front Palace had wielded so much power surpassed only by the king himself. The Front Palaces were usually the son or brothers of the monarchs. The title existed until 1885 with the death of
Vichaichan, the last Front Palace.
Chulalongkorn then abolished the title and introduced the Western style of "Crown Prince".
Ayutthaya period
The
Uparaja or Vice-King concept was of an Indian origin. In 1448,
Trailokanat the king of
Sukhothai was crowned as the king of
Ayutthaya uniting the two kingdoms. During the 15th century, the Kingdom of Sukhothai, which centered on
Pitsanulok, served as the seat of most of
Uparajas as the
Uparajas were also the king of Sukhothai with few exceptions. After the first fall of Ayutthaya in
1569,
Maha Thammaracha crowned his son
Naresuan as the
Uparaja and the king of Sukhothai/Pitsanulok, Naresuan then built a palace in front of the Royal Palace to be his place of residence when he visited Ayutthaya - therefore the name "Front Palace" was created. However, in 1583, Naresuan annexed the Sukhothai kingdom to Ayutthaya, thus Pitsanulok ceded to be the seat of
Uparaja. Naresuan, after his coronation, appointed his brother
Ekathotsarot to be the Uparaja with equal status to the King staying in the Front Palace.
Petracha in 1688 appointed his son Luang Sorasak (later
Sanpet VIII) as the Uparaja living at the Front Palace. For the first time the term
"Krom Phrarajawang Boworn Sathan Mongkol" ( (lit. The Great Auspicious Place) was used. Petracha also appointed the "Krom Phrarajawang Boworn Sathan Phimuk" ( or the Rear Palace. The Uparaja was usually the brother of the king, and was the heir to the throne upon the death of the king. When the vice-king died before the king, the title often remained vacant for several years, until the new King decides to appoint his own Uparaja
Rattanakosin period
With the foundation of
Chakri dynasty in 1782,
Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke made his younger brother Bunma Front Palace (as
Maha Sura Singhanat). Maha Sura Singhanat supervised the construction of Front Palace in Bangkok. Later Front Palaces continued the expansion of the palace. Prince Isarasundhorn was the only Front Palace who didn't stay in the Front Palace but instead lived at the Thonburi Palace. Ironically, with the exception of Prince Isarasundhorn, none of the Rattanakosin Front Palaces were actually crowned as they were mostly the monarch's siblings.
The Front Palaces of Rattanakosin period had wielded a large power. In 1851,
Mongkut made his brother
Pinklao the Front Palace and then crowned as a king equaled to himself, like the case of Naresuan and Ekatotsarot. This greatly expanded the power of the Front Palace. In 1868, after the coronation of young
Chulalongkorn,
Sri Suriyawongse his regent arranged the grant of the Front Palace title to Pinklao's son, Prince
Yingyot.
End to the system
The conflicts between the reformist King Chulalongkorn and conservative Vice King came to a head in the so-called
Front Palace Crisis in 1874 - a fire in the
Grand Palace was attributed to the Vice-King
Bovorn Vichaicharn, who sought protection in the British consulate. The crisis started due to the fast-paced reforms started by the young King
Chulalongkorn. As a result the reforms were stalled for several years, and when the Vice-King died in 1885 the whole Uparath system was abolished by the King. Instead he named his son as heir and Crown Prince.
During the Bangkok times the Vice-King resided in the Front Palace ( north of the Grand Palace, which is now the main building of the
National Museum.
List of the Front Palaces
Ayutthaya
Rattanakosin
With the death of Vichaichan, Chulalongkorn didn't appoint any new Front Palaces. In 1886, Chulalongkorn made his son Prince Maha
Vajirunhis as "Crown Prince", therefore abolishing the Front Palace title altogether.
See also
- Uparaja -for other South East Asian equivialents
